WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed today marked the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) with a call to restore the promise of voting rights for all Americans.  As Americans celebrate this historic moment in the Nation’s history and reflect on how the VRA has helped over the last 50 years to guarantee all Americans’ right to vote, including racial and language minorities, Reed also noted a subtle but worriesome effort around the country to chip away at the progress made possible by the VRA.

“The Voting Rights Act is a landmark law that advanced the ability of all Americans to vote, and has been a critical tool in fighting discrimination and disenfranchisement at the polls.  Today, we solemnly honor those Americans who sacrificed so much to ensure America fulfilled its Constitutional guarantee of a right to vote, and a right to be counted.  And we must continue working to overcome new barriers to people’s ability to cast a ballot and have their voices heard in our democracy that have cropped up since the Supreme Court struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act in the case of Shelby County v. Holder,” said Reed.   

On June, 25, 2013, despite extensive documentation of the need for the VRA, the U.S. Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder found that the coverage formula laid out in Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which was used to determine which jurisdictions had to “preclear” any voting rules changes under Section 5 of the law, was unconstitutional on the basis that the coverage formula was outdated.  Since the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County, it has become more difficult to stop voting discrimination and suppression.  

Seeking to restore the full protections of the original, bipartisan Voting Rights Act of 1965, Senator Reed and several of his colleagues have teamed up to offer a legislative fix, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015.  This legislation would provide the tools to address the discriminatory practices that have been documented in recent years, and seeks to protect all Americans’ right to vote.  Specifically, the bill would:

  • Create a new coverage formula that applies to all states and hinges on a finding of repeated voting rights violations in the preceding 25 years;
  • Establish a targeted process for reviewing voting changes in jurisdictions nationwide, focused on measures that have historically been used to discriminate against voters;
  • Increase transparency by requiring reasonable public notice for voting changes;
  • Allow the Attorney General to request federal observers be present anywhere in the country where there is a serious threat of racial discrimination in voting;
  • Revise and tailor the preliminary injunction standard for voting rights actions to recognize that there will be cases where there is a need for immediate preliminary relief.

“Fifty years ago, the Voting Rights Act helped millions of Americans, who had been denied one of our most cherished and fundamental rights, to find a path to the voting booth.  But once again, that path is becoming obstructed for many of our citizens.  We cannot stand by and allow systemic discrimination to creep back into our laws, our voting booths, or our communities.  The Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015 will restore the promise and protections of the Voting Rights Act, and help repair the damage done by the recent Shelby County decision.  Democrats and Republicans should come together, as they did a half century ago, to support justice and equality for all,” added Reed.

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